CHICAGO, Ill. (GreenBayPhoenix.com) – The Green Bay softball team had two outstanding pitching performances from senior Allison Goecks (Beloit, Wis.) freshman Briana Cavin (Elk Grove Village, Ill.) in Saturday’s doubleheader at second-place Loyola, but the Ramblers outlasted the Phoenix to take both games. The Phoenix (12-24, 5-11 HL) will close the three-game set tomorrow at noon.

Game 1: Loyola 2, Green Bay 1

Behind dominating pitching performances from both sides, the Ramblers took game one after each team managed just two hits in the contest. Goecks (6-9) took the loss despite a stellar complete game with two unearned runs, three walks and six strikeouts.

Loyola registered the first hit of the contest in the bottom of the third inning while securing a 2-0 lead. The Ramblers held Green Bay without a hit until the top of the fifth inning when senior Dani Peerenboom (Appleton, Wis.) hit a single up the middle to become the first baserunner of the afternoon for the visiting team.

Freshman force Marissa Michalkiewicz (Appleton, Wis.) drilled her fifth homer of the season to center field with one out, but it would be the only run for the Phoenix in the contest. Michalkiewicz finished 1-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored, while Peerenboom went 1-for-3.

Game 2: Loyola 5, Green Bay 4

Green Bay’s offense heated up in the second contest, and another solid complete game from Cavin helped the Phoenix jump out to a 3-0 lead early on.

With two on and nobody out, Michalkiewicz slammed an RBI single up the middle. Junior Miranda Reinke (Milwaukee, Wis.) followed her with a sacrifice fly to center field that plated Peerenboom, and fellow junior Stacey Butts (Greenfield, Wis.) used a sacrifice fly of her own to score Michalkiewicz.

A lead-off double in the bottom of the fourth eventually led to a run for the host team off an RBI single. The Ramblers then led off with a solo homer in the bottom of the fifth to trim Green Bay’s lead to 3-2 before an RBI double tied things at 3-3. Loyola left the half-inning with a 4-3 advantage after an RBI single to left.

Michalkiewicz once again delivered with an RBI single in the top of the sixth to tie things up at 4-4, but a solo homer to lead off the bottom of the sixth gave the home team a 5-4 lead it would not give up.

Cavin (4-7) took the loss after a complete game with seven hits, five earned runs and six strikeouts. Michalkiewicz finished 3-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored, while freshman Kelli Hutchinson (Milwaukee, Wis.) went 2-for-2 with a run scored. Reinke and Stacey Butts each chipped in an RBI, while senior Jess Hrncar (Bristol, Wis.) and Cavin each added a hit.

The Phoenix will close the series with the Ramblers tomorrow at noon.

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